Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) may operate independently of a human operator and typically include batteries to provide power to the vehicle. Batteries offer a high energy density in a small package, yet are limited by the total amount of energy that they may store. Thus, battery storage capacity may become a limiting factor in how long an AUV may operate.
While generators (e.g., diesel fuel generators) may provide electrical power for charging batteries by burning fuel, combustion requires the intake of oxygen (e.g., in air) and a means to discharge combustion gasses. Further, water-based environments, and especially submersible environments encountered by an AUV, may quickly damage a generator through the unintended introduction of water into the generator's intake and exhaust ports.
It thus remains a problem to ensure the autonomous operation of generators in a submersible environment.